15 Best Examples Of B2B Explainer Videos & Why They Work So Well

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December 14, 2024
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17 min 57 sec

How to Make an Explainer Video? B2B explainer videos can draw potential customers in and give them the information they need to purchase before they even talk to you. They are so effective that they can reduce up to 68% of the buyers’ questions before talking to a sales rep. In this article, we’ll show you how to make an explainer video for your business, focusing on the best examples of B2B explainer videos and why they work so well.  

Moonb's explainer video production services can help you achieve your goals and create a captivating video that draws your customers in and enables you to close more deals. 

What is a B2B Explainer Video?

People Working  - B2B Explainer Videos

B2B explainer videos explain products and services to businesses and organizations. Often, these videos target a specific audience within a company, such as decision-makers or end users. B2B explainer videos can help you introduce your business to a new audience, explain how your product or service works to prospective buyers, or provide onboarding and training assistance for a solution a customer has purchased.

An animated explainer video has also become a universal meaning for transferring complex business concepts, explaining complicated processes, and educating customers. 

Diverse Applications of Explainer Videos

Explainer videos have a lot of uses in B2B marketing, from tradeshow introductory videos and product teasers to animated tutorials to sales pitches. Nevertheless, several applicable practices can help you produce any B2B explainer video.

The Limitations of Traditional Content Formats

Most marketing content like blogs, infographics, and website copy require high attention levels from the reader to get the message across. But modern viewers quickly lose interest in static text and complex paragraphs.

A report by Deloitte said that “millennial and Gen Z binge watchers report watching an average of six episodes, or five hours of content, in a single sitting.”

You don’t have to limit yourself to short content to convey your brand message. The important thing is to produce content that isn’t dull. Instead, it should hook your target audience and prompt them to consider your value proposition.

15 Best Examples Of B2B Explainer Videos

Person Shooting - B2B Explainer Videos

1. Moonb: The Explainer Video Experts

Moonb is a video marketing agency offering unlimited video editing subscriptions. Our team includes:

  • Senior motion designers
  • Video editors
  • Illustrators
  • Creative directors

We use animations to explain software products better. Moonb has created several explainer videos using animations to help businesses better define their product offerings and relate to the audience in a much better way.

2. CISCO: The Minimalist Approach

Here, we're looking at a stripped-back, minimalist take on the animated explainer video. The messaging? Sharp and concise. As for the visuals, they're straightforward, effortlessly digestible, and sidestep the visual chaos often seen elsewhere. It carries a hint of the familiar yet gracefully avoids tumbling into the abyss of that ubiquitous "Corporate Art Style" that plagues many explainer videos.

3. VIRTIANT: The Animation Without Words

How do you convey a complex message without a voice-over? Just like this. Crafted by BluBlu Studios, one of the premier design powerhouses, this piece is a testament to animation's profound capability. At first glance, the design seems straightforward. Think again. It's a sophisticated blend of 2D and 3D concepts, executed with such finesse that it appears deceptively effortless. 

Here, art isn't just art; it's art harnessed to distill the complex topic. Art in the tireless service of business marketing.

4. NEXMO: Characters with Personality

Advancing a notch in creative complexity, we encounter a piece that dabbles in character animation. Yet, these characters aren't relegated to performing mundane tasks (like most of the explainer videos out there); they're invested with distinct personalities and communicate in their own unique voices. It's a subtle touch, yet it significantly enhances the narrative. 

The voice-over strikes a perfect balance—assertive yet likable, guiding viewers through a journey that precisely highlights specific problems and their solutions. The incorporation of mixed media here is for more than just show. It amplifies the message, adding layers of meaning and engagement to the narrative.

5. Zendesk: The One with Everything

This one is a unique explainer video. Imagine a blend where stop-motion animation, 2D animation, collages, dashboard simulations, and live and stock footage converge to weave an enthralling narrative. It's a symphony of all possible visual techniques coming together to craft a singular, compelling story. 

Strategic Storytelling

The narrative structure is meticulously crafted, beginning with the problem before transitioning into the brand's unique perspective. This approach is more than just creative; it's strategic, delaying the introduction of the product until 47 seconds into a 75-second video. And yet, this storytelling choice pays off, entertaining and captivating the audience's attention and building interest before the big reveal.

6. Salesforce: The Customer-Focused Video

Boom. This live-action video puts the spotlight squarely on the customer, showcasing their diversity alongside their clientele. Every character featured in this explainer video is carefully chosen to illustrate the web of connections that underpin the business world: the intricate dance of interactions between people that drives success. 

What else would one anticipate from a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) explainer video? It's precisely this focus on human connections that you'd expect it to emphasize. The video's tone might lean towards the American style, yet it remains universally approachable, not straying so far that it loses its relatability across different markets.

7. Synthesia: The Explainer about an Explainer

Once more, we're given a front-row seat to the product in action, expertly navigating the fine line between a glorified tech demo and a pain point video. This time, the cast is streamlined to three key players: the narrator, a customer, and their client. Through this focused lens, we observe how the protagonist leverages the solution to tackle his most significant challenges, enhancing his work and leaving a memorable impact on his client. 

The video delivers a lighthearted tone of voice with a fun and engaging introduction. Then, it clearly explains the product's functionalities and benefits for the viewers. And it's not just the informative aspect we appreciate; the twist at the end adds an element of surprise that we find delightful.

8. Slack: The Classic Explainer Video

Behold, the mother of explainer videos. It is a true classic that has stood the test of time and was brought to life by the iconic Sandwich of San Francisco. Their masterpiece for Slack isn't just good—it's a seminal work in the genre. This video is a masterclass in storytelling, authenticity, and engagement. 

The individuals you see aren't actors; they're the real customers, the people who created the video with a quirky appearance by the brains behind the brand, Stewart Butterfield, the Founder of Slack. 

It is a rarity and a bold move that remains unmatched in its audacity and impact. It's not just informative; it's entertaining, injected with humor, and articulates the product's use so fluidly that viewers feel they've been longtime users by the end. 

9. GitHub: The Pinnacle of B2B Tech Explainers

And now, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present what we consider the pinnacle of B2B tech explainer videos to date. Why does it claim the top spot? It nails every essential for an impactful explainer video. Foremost, it showcases a profound understanding of its target audience and the industry it operates within. 

What better way to structure an IT explainer video than to talk to the rubber duck? For those unacquainted, "rubber ducking" is a renowned method for debugging code, inspired by a narrative from "The Pragmatic Programmer." In this story, a programmer explains their code to a rubber duck, line by line, as a means of troubleshooting. 

A Multi-faceted Approach

This technique mirrors the quintessential purpose of an explainer video: to clarify, to explain, to make the complex accessible. But the journey doesn't end there. Viewers are whisked away into a universe crafted from an eclectic mix of visual styles and techniques. This exceptional video weaves elements of product demos and explainer content with a flair for awareness marketing, adeptly addressing the pain points of its intended audience. 

Connecting with the Target Audience

GitHub must understand its audience and connect with them deeply, personally, and emotionally. It demonstrates an astute awareness of what they like and how they consume content. 

In short, this video sets a benchmark. It exemplifies how explainer videos should engage with their audiences, treating them as viewers and integral participants in a shared narrative. Brilliant, indeed. This is the standard to which all explainer videos should aspire.

10. MONDAY: The Warm and Approachable Explainer

This one injects more charisma, even as it navigates through dashboards. The tone? Unmistakably warm and accommodating, it speaks in a language tailored to resonate with the brand's Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). 

Visually, it's an exercise in simplicity, yet in concert with the narrative voice, these elements enrich and uplift the storyline. The dashboards transcend decoration; the video cleverly demonstrates functionality through a handful of carefully chosen scenarios.

11. Grammarly: Conversational and Straightforward

This YouTube Short by Grammarly explains three features from its business version that users can use to improve their writing and productivity. The spokesperson immediately explains the purpose of the explainer at the very beginning. She also uses a conversational tone and explains each feature in plain language.

12. Notarize - Be Funny

Why make things boring when you can make them fun? Humor can work wonders for all kinds of marketing, which applies to explainer videos. Notarize took what was the most boring thing on earth, notarization, and made it funny, engaging, and watchable. They realized nobody would want to watch a dry video about this topic, even people who needed exactly what their service offers. 

So, instead, they took the opposite route, using humor and authenticity to explain a potentially boring idea in a way that builds goodwill with their audience. A dash of history, a sprinkle of dressing up, and some excellent editing make this the funniest and most shareable explainer video of all time.

13. Crazy Egg - Show Your Product in Action

You can only sometimes do this, but showing your product or service in action during your explainer video can help push potential customers toward purchase. Crazy Egg chose to show their heat and scroll map tools at work in their explainer video. 

By showing their target audience exactly what they'll get for their money, the company succeeded in removing that aspect of buyer uncertainty from viewers. When you're selling an online service or software (particularly complicated, technical ones), it can be helpful to give your audience an idea of what it looks like in use. 

Leads want to know they'll be able to get stuck with no problems, and by answering that question, you're one step closer to a closed sale.

14. Panorama9 - Be Visually Interesting

The best explainer videos always remember that they're videos. They use visuals, color, motion and pacing to help explain their product or service. One surefire way to engage your audience is to use interesting, quirky visuals. 

Panorama9 took a fun idea for their creative inspiration and ran with it here. What if being in IT is similar to being in a demanding video game? Not only is the metaphor perfect for Panorama9's target audience, but the gorgeous visuals back it up by emulating the look of retro games. 

15. Onlife Health Business Explainer Video

It is another excellent example of a B2B animated explanatory video that converts sales and engages the audience. It promotes the B2B services of Onlife Health, a comprehensive wellness solutions company. This organization works with large employers and Health Plans nationwide, and their unique approach is focused on engagement techniques that form lasting habits. 

The main peculiarity of this 2D animation video is that it covers many aspects of the company’s offering within only several minutes. The informativeness of the video packed into a compact format amazed us. You might first notice a highly straightforward visual style when watching this video. 

Simplicity and Impact

Although complicated animation effects may seem more visually appealing, they can distract from a marketing message. In this case, a B2B animated video doesn’t perform its primary mission of explaining the business idea and services. On the contrary, the video from Onlife Health does it perfectly.

Related Reading

Why Explainer Videos Work Best for B2B Businesses

People Filming -  B2B Explainer Videos

Online and explainer videos are effective in B2B, but a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Some B2B product explainer videos are pretty straightforward. But in most product explainer videos, a bit of humor is involved. This works well for SaaS companies and those targeting consumers directly (B2C). 

There are several reasons why explainer videos work well, especially for B2B SaaS companies: 

Simplify Complex Concepts

Many B2B SaaS products and services are complex, advanced, and technical. This level of complexity can make it hard to understand key benefits and, as a result, turn away potential customers. Explainer video services address this by breaking complex features into straightforward, engaging content. They highlight your product’s value in a clear and captivating way for your target audience. 

Demonstrate Benefits

Explainer videos allow B2B SaaS companies to demonstrate how their product or platform works through animations and simulated software walkthroughs. Rather than just describing capabilities, they can interestingly show viewers key features and functionality. This brings an abstract SaaS offering to life. 

Improve Memory Recall

Studies show that video improves memory recall and long-term retention of information far better than text communication. B2B buyers will grasp and recollect that company’s pitch much more than reviewing documents or brochures.  

Get Attention Fast

Viewers decide quickly to stick with a video or move on to something else. Professional video marketing services solve this through expert storyboarding, motion graphics, and sound design. They create animated explainer videos with appealing illustrations and motion that hook viewers in the first few seconds. This absorption factor brings valuable leads into the sales funnel.  

Enhance SEO

Video has substantial SEO advantages, increasing findability in search results pages. Explainer videos posted natively on a site, social media channels, or video platforms can increase visitors and rankings. They also provide content that site visitors will spend meaningful time with, lowering bounce rates. For B2B SaaS firms, this can generate more quality traffic.   

Scale Globally 

One huge benefit of explainer videos for SaaS firms is scalability. Once produced, explainer videos can be leveraged globally across geographies and languages to increase brand consistency. Explainer videos can be translated into multiple languages via subtitles. 

This allows B2B SaaS companies to reuse the videos when expanding globally. Adding cultural customizations helps cost-effectively localize messaging.    

Highly Shareable

Explainer videos are highly shareable across social media platforms and professional networks. Unlike pamphlets or ebooks, short animated videos are easy to pass along via email, Slack, Twitter, or LinkedIn. 

The entertaining, animated format compels viewers to share with peers who may find it helpful. This way, a single explainer video can reach thousands through social sharing, acting as a cost-efficient lead-generation driver.

Reduce the Need for Customer Support

Explainer videos answer customers' “how to” questions before contacting your support team. For example, an animated video could demonstrate how to set up two-factor authentication or connect to your APIs step-by-step. 

Users could watch the short explainer and solve simple issues without creating a ticket. Self-service through explainer videos can reduce support costs and free support agents for complex problems.   

Reimagining Video Production

Moonb is a video marketing agency offering unlimited video editing subscriptions. We offer seamless project management integration via Trello, Slack, and MS Teams, weekly strategy calls, and a contract-free, full-service production approach. Moonb is a superior alternative to traditional video agencies, freelancers, and in-house production teams. 

Our flexible, subscription-based model, combined with our expertise in creating compelling video content, positions us as the ideal partner for companies looking to elevate their marketing and educational initiatives through the power of video. 

Start a 3-day free trial with our product demo video service to take your content to the next level.

4 Best Tips For Creating B2B Explainer Videos

Man Filming - B2B Explainer Videos

1. Define the key business goals and target audience

Before creating a B2B explainer video, ensuring the video production team and the client are on the same page is crucial. You should discuss the key business objectives and an audience to understand who you’re targeting with the video. 

It would be best to create a customer persona–the image of the ideal customer (the viewer). It should include customer data, such as the industry, location, market, relevant job positions, demographics, and the specifics of a business where the perfect customer works. 

2. Keep the Balance Between a Formal Style and Creativity

When dealing with a B2B explainer video, aligning with a formal style is crucial. This video doesn’t target a typical B2C customer that emotions or trends might often drive, but business owners are people who make data-based and well-informed decisions. 

Most commonly, B2B customers want to learn more detailed information about a product or service in a video. Also, they are already aware of all technical terms and concepts. They expect the video pitch to be packed with all the key points of a product, including cost estimation, the benefits they get from a company, etc. 

The video should include all the information needed to make a business decision. Today, we can also see that many explainer video production companies do creative experiments by adding a little more fun to a formal B2B video. It can add freshness to the traditional sales pitch and engage the customer, but you should be sure that the video still corresponds to all the B2B standards.

3. Use the Same Structure as in a Sales Pitch

The B2B explainer video should follow the same structure as a standard sales pitch. It should include three essential parts:

  • Customer problem
  • Description
  • Possible solutions

Why is a specific product or service the best option available? The video should include a complete explanation of all the product’s competitive advantages. It’s best if they are backed by authentic success stories or data provided by authoritative sources. 

4. Emphasize the Brand Identity

The brand identity is a significant part of the overall business presence and even a brand reputation. In an explainer video, you can emphasize it using:

  • Branding colors
  • Logos
  • Motos

It will help increase brand awareness and recognizability. An excellent example of an explainer B2B video featuring branding colors is the one produced by Slack.

Related Reading

Choosing an Explainer Video Company

Man Working - B2B Explainer Videos

Understand Your Requirements

Before you vet different video creation agencies, you must know what you want to achieve. What message are you trying to convey through the video? Who is your target audience? What kind of style do you envision? What is your budget and deadline? Answering these questions will give you a starting point and help you narrow your options.

Experience and Portfolio

The experience of a video company is crucial in determining its competence in delivering quality videos. A company that has been in the business for a considerable period will likely have honed its skills and fine-tuned its processes, ensuring a smoother experience for you. Nonetheless, experience alone isn't enough. 

You should also look at the company's portfolio to see the range and quality of their work. This will give you a better sense of their creativity and ability to diversify their styles to fit different industries. Remember, your industry's nuances can significantly impact how your video content should be presented.

Client Reviews and Testimonials

Testimonials are powerful tools for assessing the reliability and professionalism of a company. They provide insights into the company's:

  • Work ethic
  • Ability to meet deadlines
  • Customer service quality
  • Willingness to go the extra mile for their clients

Read reviews on independent platforms or ask the company for references if they aren't readily available.

Customization and Personalization

The best explainer videos are tailored to resonate with a specific audience. Look for a company that emphasizes customization and personalization. They should be willing to learn about your brand, understand your unique selling points, and translate these into your video. 

Companies that use templates or have a one-size-fits-all approach may need help to capture the essence of your brand effectively.

Comprehensive Services

While the focus here is on explainer videos, you may need other types of video content in the future. Selecting a company that provides a broad spectrum of video services will save you the hassle of looking for a new agency each time your video needs to change.

Communication and Collaboration

Throughout the video creation process, clear communication is key. Look for a company that values transparency and keeps you in the loop at every stage. They should also be open to your ideas and input. After all, you know your business better than anyone else. The right company will welcome your thoughts and work collaboratively to bring your vision to life.

Value for Money

While it's important not to compromise on quality, the price should also be a consideration. The most expensive company could be better, and vice versa. You need to ensure you get the best value for your investment. Be cautious of companies offering exceptionally low prices; they may need to deliver the desired quality. 

Start a 3-day Free Trial to Take Your Content to the Next Level with Our Product Demo Video Service

B2B explainer videos introduce products or services to other businesses in a simple, engaging, and friendly manner. They're often animated but can also feature live-action footage, screenshots, or a mix of all three. 

Related Reading

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  • Best Explainer Video Software
  • Product Video Companies
  • Stop Motion Animation Examples
  • Motion Graphics Companies
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  • 2d Explainer Video
  • Promotional Video Production Companies
  • 30 Second Explainer Videos
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Have Questions?

How successful is video marketing?

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For most marketing videos, aim for a length of 30 to 90 seconds. This duration is typically enough to engage viewers while conveying your key message effectively. However, depending on the content and platform, some videos can be longer, so consider your audience's attention span and the context of your message.

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